Renowned German sociologist Jurgen Habermas breaks down the possibility of humans one day being able to take the controls of their own biological evolution, and takes up the question of the ethical implications and subjects it to careful philosophical scrutiny. Guided by the view that genetic manipulation is connected with the identity and the self-understanding of the species, he discusses how 'playing God' might one day prove to be restrictive for the choice of an individual's way of life and may undermine the symmetrical relations between free and equal human beings. Stimulating and thoughtful, Habermas' philosophizing raises and ventures to answer complex ethical issues concerning the legitimate scope and limits of genetic intervention.

"Habermas' thoughtful and self-critical contribution reads like the start of an important conversation...." Jon Turney
The Times Higher Education Supplement

"Thoughtful and stimulating."
Times Literary Supplement

"We are fortunate to have Jurgen Habermas writing about bioethics. His intelligence, moral seriousness and intellectual sophistication make him an exemplary figure on the Left"
Mark Blitz, Claremont Review of Books

"A rich introduction to current ethical thinking in Europe and to the relevance of philosophy to society."
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Jurgen Habermas (born June 18, 1929) is a German philosopher and sociologist in the tradition of critical theory and American pragmatism. He is best known for his work on the concept of the public sphere, which he has based in his theory of communicative action. His work has focused on the foundations of social theory and epistemology, the analysis of advanced capitalistic societies and democracy, the rule of law in a critical social-evolutionary context, and contemporary politics - particularly German politics. Habermas' theoretical system is devoted to revealing the possibility of reason, emancipation and rational-critical communication latent in modern institutions and in the human capacity to deliberate and pursue rational interests.

In his book, Habermas takes up the question of genetic engineering and its ethical implications and subjects it to careful philosophical scrutiny. His analysis is guided by the view that genetic manipulation is bound up with the identity and self-understanding of the species.

George Butrus Kattoura was born in Lebanon in 1945. He holds a Ph.D in philosophy from Topengin University in Germany and is a Professor of philosophy at the Lebanese University as well as a Dean of the Information & Documentation department. His works include The Impressions of Al-Kawakibi in his Book of Depotism (Beirut, 1987), The God of Knower (Beirut, 1987), Atlas of Philosophy (Beirut, 2001) and The Cultural Globalization (Beirut, 2005). He has also published several essays and translations in several Arabic magazines and encyclopaedias.

About the Reviewer

Antoine Ibrahim Al Hashim
Born in Lebanon in 1931
Won the 1969 Lebanese University Educational Award for Arabic Literature.